"successfully complete the swim, but was forced to abandon the attempt a mere five miles from the French side of the Channel. In 1916, Sullivan outswam Charles Toth (a competitive swimmer who would also successfully swim the distance in 1923), setting an American record of continuously swimming for 20 hours and 28 minutes while attempting to swim from Provincetown, Massachusetts to Nantucket. He made two more attempts at the channel crossing in 1920, his best effort leaving him 1.5 miles from the French coast before unfavorable tides forced him to give up. In a 1921 attempt, he was forced to"
"Gertrude Ederle Gertrude Caroline Ederle (October 23, 1905 – November 30, 2003) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in five events. On August 6, 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Among other nicknames, the press sometimes called her ""Queen of the Waves."" Gertrude Ederle was born on October 23, 1905 in Manhattan, New York City. She was the third of six children and the daughter of German immigrants, Gertrude Anna Haberstroh and Henry Ederle. According to a biography of Ederle, ""America's Girl"", her father ran a butcher shop on"
"her. <br> <br> Gertrude Ederle Gertrude Caroline Ederle (October 23, 1905 – November 30, 2003) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in five events. On August 6, 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Among other nicknames, the press sometimes called her ""Queen of the Waves."" Gertrude Ederle was born on October 23, 1905 in Manhattan, New York City. She was the third of six children and the daughter of German immigrants, Gertrude Anna Haberstroh and Henry Ederle. According to a biography of Ederle, ""America's Girl"", her father ran a"
"of Australia, won the first Ladies Singles at the Australian Open. Esna Boyd Robertson and Marjorie Mountain, both of Australia, won the first women's doubles. 1923 – 1923 Women's Olympiad, held in Monaco. 1923 – First British track and field Championships Championships, followed shortly thereafter by the first American track and field Championships. 1924 – 1924 Women's Olympiad, held at Stamford Bridge, London. 1926 – The Amateur Athletic Union sponsored the first-ever American national women's basketball championship. 1926 – New York City native Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel, which she did in fourteen hours,"
"Florence Chadwick Florence May Chadwick (November 9, 1918 – March 15, 1995) was an American swimmer known for long-distance open water swimming. She was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions, setting a time record each time. She was also the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, the Straits of Gibraltar, the Bosporus (one way), and the Dardanelles (round trip). She was born in San Diego on November 8, 1918. Her parents were Richard Chadwick, a police officer, and Mary Lacko, a homemaker who later operated a San Diego restaurant. Chadwick grew up in the"
"Calais at 8:05 in the evening, was examined by a doctor and had something to eat. He was escorted out to the cheering crowd by Enrique Tirabocchi, an Argentine swimmer who would make the crossing himself later that year. Two other swimmers completed the swim that same summer. Tirabocchi, from Argentina, completed the swim on August 13, finishing in a record time of 16 hours and 33 minutes and becoming the first person to swim the route starting from the French side of the Channel. American Charles Toth of Boston completed the swim on September 9, 1923, in 16 hours"
"Amelia Gade Corson Amelia ""Mille"" Gade Corson (11 February 1897 – 1 May 1982) was a Danish-born American long-distance swimmer who is best known as becoming the seventh person, third American and second woman to successfully swim across the English Channel. Earlier, Corson had completed the swim around Manhattan Island, a distance of 42 miles, and had also completed the swim from Albany, New York to New York City, swimming the distance in a total of 5 days, 3 hours and 11.5 minutes. The straight-line distance between the two points is 143 miles, but Corson swam an extra 10 miles"
"Mayor Jimmy Walker. She died in Croton on Hudson, New York, on 26 May 1982. Amelia Gade Corson Amelia ""Mille"" Gade Corson (11 February 1897 – 1 May 1982) was a Danish-born American long-distance swimmer who is best known as becoming the seventh person, third American and second woman to successfully swim across the English Channel. Earlier, Corson had completed the swim around Manhattan Island, a distance of 42 miles, and had also completed the swim from Albany, New York to New York City, swimming the distance in a total of 5 days, 3 hours and 11.5 minutes. The straight-line"
"comparing finish times from performances undertaken on different days meaningless. One of the earliest marathon swims was accomplished in 1875 by Captain Matthew Webb, when he became the first person to swim across the English Channel. Similarly, perhaps the most famous marathon swim of all-time was accomplished in 1926 by Gertrude Ederle, when she became, at 19 years of age, the first woman to swim across the English Channel. In doing so, she demolished the existing world record for the crossing, by employing the crawl stroke technique. The Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming includes three of the most well-known"
"and 2 minutes, breaking the record set by Thomas William Burgess in his 1911 Channel swim of 22 hours and 35 minutes. He had made it within 3 miles of finishing the 32 mile distance. Tirabocchi had made an unsuccessful attempt to cross the English Channel on August 29, 1922, but was forced out of the water due to exhaustion after 19.5 hours, having it made it within two miles of St. Margaret's Bay. Tirabocchi entered the water at Cape Gris Nez on the French side of the Channel at 8:00 on the evening of August 11, 1923, telling the"
"successfully appealed to Benito Mussolini to retrieve the award. Tirabocchi credited American Gertrude Ederle with having made ""a marvelous swim"" in 1926, when she finished in 14 hours and 39 minutes, cutting almost two full hours off his record time, saying that her pace was not a matter of luck but was part of the ""excellent constitution... [and] great powers of resistance"" needed to complete the swim. Enrique Tirabocchi Enrique Tirabocchi (variously spelled as Enrico Tiraboschi) was an Argentinian marathon swimmer who in August 1926 became the fourth person to successfully swim across the English Channel. He was the first"
"Enrique Tirabocchi Enrique Tirabocchi (variously spelled as Enrico Tiraboschi) was an Argentinian marathon swimmer who in August 1926 became the fourth person to successfully swim across the English Channel. He was the first person to swim from France to England and finished the swim in 16 hours and 33 minutes, beating the record set by Matthew Webb when he was the first to make the crossing more than 50 years earlier. In a February 1920 attempt to swim from Colonia, Uruguay across the River Plate to Buenos Aires, Tirabocchi set a record by being in the water for 24 hours"
"Lynne Cox Lynne Cox (born 1957 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American long-distance open-water swimmer, writer and speaker. She is best known for being the first person to swim between the United States and the Soviet Union, in the Bering Strait, a feat which has been recognized for easing the Cold War tensions between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1971, she and her teammates were the first group of teenagers to complete the crossing of the Catalina Island Channel in California. She has twice held the record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel"
"English Channel swims - 43 crossings; men's record is 34 held by Kevin Murphy. <br> 1998 Isles of Scilly to Cornwall 1st person 28 miles 15 h 11 min Alison Streeter Alison Jane Streeter MBE (born 1964) is a British long-distance swimmer. She has swum across the English Channel 43 times, more than anyone in the world and earning her the title of Queen of the English Channel. This total includes a triple-channel swim. She also completed seven Channel crossings in one year. She set the female record for a Channel swim from France to England (8 hours 48 minutes),"
"around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. A watershed event was a swimming competition in 1844 in London, notable for the participation of some Native Americans. While the British raced using breaststroke, the Native Americans swam a variant of the front crawl. The British continued to swim only breaststroke until 1873. Captain Matthew Webb was the first man to swim the English channel (between England and France), in 1875. He used breaststroke, swimming 21.26 miles (34.21 km) in 21 hours and 45 minutes. The 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri were the first Olympics to feature a separate breaststroke competition, over"
"Edward Temme Edward Harry Temme (16 September 1904 – 26 June 1977) was an English swimmer and insurance clerk. Temme was the first man to swim across the English Channel both ways, from France to England on 5 August 1927 and from England to France on 18 August 1934. He was also a water polo player who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Temme was born in Stratford Road, Plaistow, Essex (now part of east London). He was a member of the British water polo team that finished fourth at the"
"Walpurga von Isacescu Walpurga von Isacescu (born about 1870), also seen as Walburga von Isacescu, was an Austrian swimmer, the first woman athlete to attempt a swim across the English Channel. Walpurga von Isacescu attempted to swim across the English Channel on 5 September 1900, a generation before the first woman succeeded at the challenge (when Gertrude Ederle did it, in 1926). She is considered the first woman swimmer to try. Unfavorable weather and tides contributed to her failure after ten hours, and twenty miles. She announced plans for another attempt in 1903. As a member of the First Vienna"
"Walpurga von Isacescu Walpurga von Isacescu (born about 1870), also seen as Walburga von Isacescu, was an Austrian swimmer, the first woman athlete to attempt a swim across the English Channel. Walpurga von Isacescu attempted to swim across the English Channel on 5 September 1900, a generation before the first woman succeeded at the challenge (when Gertrude Ederle did it, in 1926). She is considered the first woman swimmer to try. Unfavorable weather and tides contributed to her failure after ten hours, and twenty miles. She announced plans for another attempt in 1903. As a member of the First Vienna"
"22 h 16 mins. His total number of successful English Channel swims stands at 11, spanning a period from 1969 to 1981. Erikson died of an infection on July 28, 2014 in Boca Raton. He was 59. Jon Erikson Jon Erikson (1954 – July 28, 2014) was an American long distance swimmer who was the first of only four people to have ever completed a three way swim of the English Channel. A physical education teacher at the time, he completed the swim in a time of 38 h 27 mins in 1981. The only other individuals to have completed"
"Des Renford Desmond Robert Renford MBE (25 August 192730 December 1999) was an Australian long distance swimmer who swam the English Channel 19 times from 19 attempts. This was a record for successful crossings by an Australian until it was overtaken by Chloe McCardel in 2016. From 1975-1979 and for a period in 1980 he held the title of King of the Channel. At the time of his death, only two other people had swum the Channel more often, Alison Streeter and Michael Read. Des Renford was born on the 52nd anniversary of the very first Channel swim, achieved in"
"Kevin Murphy (swimmer) Kevin Murphy (born 1949) has swum the English Channel 34 times, more than any other man in history. The overall title of greatest number of successful English Channel swims is held by Alison Streeter with 43 to her name. Murphy's total of 34 includes three double-channel swims. He also holds the record for the earliest Channel crossing of the year, set on 29 May 1990. In 1964, aged just 15, he completed his first long distance swim - 6 hours 29 minutes for the 10 miles of Windermere. In 1968, he completed his first Channel swim -"
"and official records of the Channel Swimming Association and the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation Des Renford Desmond Robert Renford MBE (25 August 192730 December 1999) was an Australian long distance swimmer who swam the English Channel 19 times from 19 attempts. This was a record for successful crossings by an Australian until it was overtaken by Chloe McCardel in 2016. From 1975-1979 and for a period in 1980 he held the title of King of the Channel. At the time of his death, only two other people had swum the Channel more often, Alison Streeter and Michael Read. Des"
"morning. She swam 153 miles on the 143 mile straight-line route and covered the distance in a total of 5 days, 3 hours and 11.5 minutes, including 66 hours of swimming time. Becoming close from their relationship on the Albany-NYC trip she married Corson, and by 1926 she had two children, a two-year-old daughter and a son who was four years old. The children stayed with an aunt in Virginia while Corson worked on her record swims. Her first attempt to make the English Channel crossing came in 1923, when she had made the first 21 miles in 14.5 hours"
"Agnes Beckwith Agnes Alice Beckwith (24 August 1861 – 12 July 1898) was an English swimmer Beckwith was born in 1861 in Lambeth, south London. She was the daughter of Frederick Edward Beckwith, a noted swimmer who was 'professional English champion' and swimming professor at the Lambeth Baths. By the age of four or five she was performing as a swimmer in shows organised by her father, and by 1871 she and her brother Willie's swimming skills were being shown in Paris. Her father ""Professor Beckwith"" had backed Matthew Webb to be the first person to swim the English Channel."
"Alison Streeter Alison Jane Streeter MBE (born 1964) is a British long-distance swimmer. She has swum across the English Channel 43 times, more than anyone in the world and earning her the title of Queen of the English Channel. This total includes a triple-channel swim. She also completed seven Channel crossings in one year. She set the female record for a Channel swim from France to England (8 hours 48 minutes), in 1988. She was the first woman to swim the Channel three ways non-stop in 1990, taking 34h40 min for the feat. The Queen appointed Streeter a Member of"
"The first person to swim across the Bristol Channel was Kathleen Thomas, a 21-year-old woman from Penarth who swam to Weston-super-Mare on 5 September 1927. She completed the swim, nominally 11 miles but equivalent to 22 miles because of tidal flows, in 7 hours 20 minutes. In 2007 the achievement was marked by a plaque in seafront in Penarth. In 1929 Edith Parnell, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, emulated Kathleen Thomas's swim from Penarth to Weston-super-Mare in 10 hours 15 minutes. Edith later became the first wife of Hugh Cudlipp the Welsh journalist and newspaper editor. The first person to swim the"
"at the age of 97 on 21 February 2008 at Warrington Hospital. Sunny Lowry Ethel ""Sunny"" Lowry MBE (2 January 1911, in Longsight, Manchester, Lancashire – 21 February 2008) was the first British woman to swim the English Channel. (An earlier claim was successfully made by Mercedes Gleitze). Lowry, a student at Manchester High School for Girls and a keen swimmer from a young age, joined the Victoria Ladies Swimming Club of Victoria Baths, Longsight, Manchester. At that time (c. 1920) Victoria Baths only offered single-sex swimming sessions and therefore Sunny was unable to compete against the men. She was"
"Cindy Nicholas Cynthia Maria ""Cindy"" Nicholas, (August 20, 1957 – May 19, 2016) was a long distance swimmer and a politician in Ontario, Canada. In 1977 she became the first woman to complete a two-way crossing of the English Channel. From 1987 to 1990 she was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Nicholas was educated at the University of Toronto and the University of Windsor. She worked as a lawyer in Scarborough, Ontario. She had a daughter. She died from liver cancer on May 19, 2016. At age 16 she attained provincial fame by swimming across Lake"
"by bringing out a postage stamp of 3 denomination. In 1996, a bust of Arati Saha was erected near her residence. The 100-metre long lane in front the bust was renamed after her. Arati Saha Arati Gupta (née ""Saha""; 24 September 1940 – 23 August 1994) was an Indian long distance swimmer. Born in Calcutta, West Bengal, British India, Arati was initiated in swimming at the early age of four, and her talent was spotted by Sachin Nag. She was inspired by Indian swimmer Mihir Sen to try to cross the English Channel. In 1959 she became the first Asian"
"1955 and into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014. Young retired from competitive swimming around 1931. He worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad until the death of his second wife in 1953, and then at the Parks Commission in Niagara Falls until his death in 1972. George Young (swimmer) George Young (3 March 1909 – 6 August 1972) was a Canadian marathon swimmer who on 15–16 January 1927 became the first swimmer to cross the channel between Catalina Island and the mainland of California. This took place during a contest called the Wrigley Ocean Marathon, sponsored by chewing gum"
"Michelle Davidson Michelle Davidson (born 1970), is a U.S. Masters Swimmer and a long distance, open water swimmer. She is one of only 84 swimmers in the world who have ever accomplished the Triple Crown of swimming: (1) swimming the across the English Channel; (2) swimming across the Catalina Channel in southern California; and (3) swimming around the New York City island of Manhattan. Born in 1970, Davidson is a resident of the Ocean Grove section of Neptune Township, New Jersey, and is employed as a teacher at Holmdel High School. Either individually, or with her swimming partner Nancy Steadman"
"Lilian Harrison Lilian Gemma Harrison (February 8, 1904 – January 11, 1993) was an Argentine marathon swimmer, the first person to swim across the River Plate, the widest river in the world, on December 22, 1923; and a holder of the world record of endurance in the water. She was a pioneer of swimming in South America. Lilian Harrison was born in Quilmes, is a city in the , in 1904, within a family of British immigrants. As a child, when she has 8 years old, she went to England to attend school at Hertfordshire, where she learns to swim."
"Sunny Lowry Ethel ""Sunny"" Lowry MBE (2 January 1911, in Longsight, Manchester, Lancashire – 21 February 2008) was the first British woman to swim the English Channel. (An earlier claim was successfully made by Mercedes Gleitze). Lowry, a student at Manchester High School for Girls and a keen swimmer from a young age, joined the Victoria Ladies Swimming Club of Victoria Baths, Longsight, Manchester. At that time (c. 1920) Victoria Baths only offered single-sex swimming sessions and therefore Sunny was unable to compete against the men. She was developing an aptitude for long-distance swimming and used to train with her"